Social Losses Research Articles

Silent Speech in Phaswane Mpe's HIV/AIDS Writing.

South African writer Phaswane Mpe (1970-2004) is often canonized and memorialized as a brave truth-teller who broke the silence on HIV/AIDS in the context of government silence and denial. And yet Mpe's writings-including poetry, short stories, a novel, and scholarly criticism-contemplate illness as a problem for truth and representation in works that linger in silence and ambiguity. This article analyses the tension between silence and speech in Mpe's creative writing in response to HIV/AIDS. Using Mpe's works as an illustrative example, I trouble the desire to read illness narratives as forms of truth-telling and silence-breaking. The desire for the transparency of speech in a global archive of illness narratives also informs a colonial politics of representation that instrumentalizes literature as ethnographic evidence. Mpe's writing on HIV/AIDS refuses a demand for authenticity by holding the embodied experience of disease at a slight remove from the reader in order to register the forms of spiritual and epistemological crisis that epidemic and social loss produce. My contention is that the political stakes of this writing lie not in Mpe's ability to render a public health crisis with verisimilitude, but in the capacity for writing to provide solace and sublimity faced with death. Through an analysis of Mpe's fiction and poetry, this article proposes a methodology for reading the politics of illness narratives across globalized space which attends to the world-building potential of creative expression as a radical practice that resists incorporative models of aesthetic intelligibility.

Splenectomy Reports

Introduction It was seen that splenectomy creates a disability situation in an individual, and in order to eliminate it, people applied to health boards to get a report to eliminate their social and economic losses recognized to them. Objective To examine the reason for surgery, method of surgery and the type of report they wanted to receive in splenectomised patients who applied to the general surgery committee polyclinic in 2017-2018-2019-2020 and 2023 when the pandemic ended. Materials and Methods Patients who applied to general surgery outpatient clinics were asked whether they had any surgery related to general surgery, and epicrises and pathology results of splenectomised patients were seen and recorded. Results Of the 23 splenectomised patients, 15 were female and 8 were male. Of the 15 female patients, 3 were splenectomised for ovarian ca, 3 for gastric ca, 2 for distal pancreatic ca, 2 for lymphoma, 1 for colon ca, 1 for traumatic cause, 2 for ITP, 1 for sarcoidosis. In male patients, 4 were splenectomised for traumatic, 1 for colon ca, 1 for ITP, 1 for thalassemia major and 1 for CML. The mean age of female patients was 48.1 years and the mean age of male patients was 37.4 years. The most common reason for splenectomy in women was malignancy and the most common reason for splenectomy in men was trauma. Conclusion Splenectomized patients had applied to receive the most DSR.

Challenges Faced by International Students in Cyprus Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring Social Identity Loss and Reverse Culture Shock

Challenges Faced by International Students in Cyprus Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: Exploring Social Identity Loss and Reverse Culture Shock

The main challenges of gender based international labor mobility: Transnational migrant families from Georgia

The goal of the paper is to shed light on gendered nature of labor migration in the post-Soviet Georgian transitional families. Based on qualitative research methods, this study tries to identify how both, an immigrant wife and her husband left in Georgia conceptualize their gender roles and functions toward family members amid existing challenges. Our research showed that the both financial and emotional burdens of the family are on the part of immigrant women mainly. In few families, fathers take care of children, but in most cases mother’s role is played by a grandmother. Even though almost all respondents noted improvement of economic conditions, the temporary separation of the family members is seen as a social loss. The vast majority of families have not invested remittances in small businesses. It indicates the stagnation of the process of economic and social development in Georgia that restricts the migrants’ way back to home.

Thermoneutral Housing has Limited Effects on Social Isolation-Induced Bone Loss in Male C57BL/6J Mice.

Social isolation is a major public health concern and is known to increase the risk for many diseases, including heart disease and dementia. The impact of social isolation on bone health, however, has not been well-studied. We previously found that four weeks of social isolation reduces bone in male mice. Isolated mice may experience more cold stress than mice housed in groups, as we commonly keep laboratory mice at temperatures below their ideal range, which could lead to bone loss. The aim of our study was therefore to test if housing mice at warmer temperatures, within their ideal temperature range, prevents isolation-induced bone loss in male mice. We found that housing mice at warmer temperatures did not fully prevent isolation-induced bone loss. We also found social isolation increased the expression of genes related to glucocorticoid signaling in bone across temperatures, as well as genes associated with mitochondrial metabolism within fat tissue. Overall, our results show that social isolation-induced bone loss is likely not a result of cold stress from single housing and provide insight into the mechanisms by which isolation causes bone loss.

A Narrative Review of the Factors Affecting the Mental Health of Adolescents and Young People During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, led to a worldwide pandemic. There were unprecedented changes in the mental health of children, adolescents, and youth in the age group of 8-18 years as a result of COVID-19. The objective of this review is to identify direct and indirect factors that influenced these changes. We identified three main groups of factors that could have impacted the mental health of young people during the pandemic: (i) familial factors, (ii) social and educational factors, and (iii) positive variables.Our review suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the mental health of children and adolescents through stressors like social isolation, parental unemployment and loss, and disrupted routines. As a result, sadness, hopelessness, depression, and generalized anxiety all increased significantly among adolescents during the pandemic, coupled with a simultaneous increase in substance use, suicide attempts, and violence. However, the pandemic alsooffered some positive variablessuch as reduced bullying, more family time, and improved relationships for those with adequate socioeconomic resources. The complex factors affecting the mental health of young people during the pandemic underscore the necessity for additional research to comprehend their individual effects. We advocate for collaborative youth-centered initiatives involving educational organizations, mental health experts, policymakers, healthcare systems, and other community stakeholders to effectively tackle these challenges.

Post-Disaster Social Connectedness in Parent–Child Dyads: A Qualitative Investigation of Changes in Coping and Social Capital of Rural Australian Families Following Bushfires

Abstract The increasing frequency of natural disasters, such as bushfires, pose significant challenges for countries like Australia. This research investigates the changes in social connectedness following a bushfire disaster in 2019 in the rural community of Cudlee Creek, South Australia, Australia. Research has repeatedly highlighted the importance of social connectedness, social capital and secure attachment relationships in mitigating post-disaster mental health concerns. This study utilised semi-structured interviews with eight parent–child dyads twenty months post-disaster to understand changes in parent–child relationships, the quality of extended family ties and the role of the broader community in recovery and coping. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed three themes: (i) differences in children and parents in preferred forms of social support; (ii) a thinning of previously available support and (iii) altered patterns of communication in the parent–child relationships. The findings highlight the complex interactions of multi-systemic and intersectional disadvantages on social isolation and loss of social capital following disasters. The results also highlight the influence of stoic beliefs on patterns of miscommunication in parent–child dyads in rural contexts. Implications for the implementation of community-wide post-disaster supports, sociometric approaches to mental health screening and assessment, and targeted interventions for rural families.

Age Melancholy of Older Mizrahi Women Residing in Tel Aviv as a Social Loss: Exploring Intersections of Health and Social Support in an Ethnographic Study.

Inspired by Freud's "Mourning and Melancholia" and expanding upon his notions within the social context, this article proposes an innovative concept called "age melancholy" to describe the multifaceted elements of social loss experienced by empty nest older adults. While most studies emphasize a psychological-individualist approach to this phenomenon, age melancholy frames older age as a process marked by a loss of social engagements. The findings are grounded in anthropological fieldwork conducted from 2010 to 2013 in a lower-income neighborhood of Tel Aviv. They are based on deductive comprehension of social melancholy, combined with inductive qualitative analyses of 29 meetings within a designated narrative group of older Mizrahi women-Jewish immigrants from Islamic countries. The results reveal that empty nest older adults perceive their loneliness, fragile health, and approaching death as interrelated aspects of social detachment, leading to melancholy. However, whereas their emotional experiences are tainted by age melancholy, it is temporal and contextual and may be mitigated through social support.

The Relationship Between Post-Traumatic Stress, Hopelessness and Resources Adequacy in Fire Disaster Survivors: A Mediation Analysis

AbstractThis study explores the psychosocial aftermath of the fire disaster by focusing on the levels of post-traumatic stress, hopelessness and perception of adequacy of resources of the affected population in the Manavgat district of Antalya province. The data of this study, which is a descriptive correlational research, were collected between 01 March-31 May 2022. The Information form, Impact of Events Scale, Beck Hopelessness Scale and Perception of Adequacy of Resource Scale were used as the data collection tools. A total of 245 individuals, predominantly farmers and with a low-income status, participated in the study. Field data revealed a high level post-traumatic stress (39.56 ± 15.71), moderate hopelessness (10.53 ± 6.83), and moderate perception of adequacy of resources (104.17 ± 32.15) among the participants. Another important finding of the study is; sociodemographic variables were significantly associated with the impact of events, hopelessness, and perception of adequacy of resources. Being female, low education and income level, being farmer, having heavily damaged house and living in a prefabricated house emerged as risk factors for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The results demonstrated a strong correlation between hopelessness, perception of adequacy of resources and post-traumatic stress. Hopelessness partially mediated the relationship between adequacy of resources and post-traumatic stress. The massive physical, economic and social losses caused by wildfire have led to persistent psychosocial problems among the affected population. The findings highlight the importance of assessing losses related to socioeconomic status and applying risk management accordingly. The data obtained in this study can shed light on the determination of risky groups after fire disaster, psychosocial interventions to be applied and the duration of interventions.

The disintegration and reproduction of communities: A social capital perspective of urban village's urbanisation in China

The urbanisation of rural communities with urban villages (chengzhongcun) as intermediates represents both a distinct rural-to-urban transition and a distinct formalization of informal urban settlements. This study examines, from a social capital perspective, how the urban village communities have shifted in their long-term urbanisation process (from rural villages to urban villages and then to urban neighbourhoods) in the past decades. Personal interviews with former villagers who have experienced such a process are the major data sources for this study. Key conclusions include: i) the urban village communities consistently lose social capital since the pre-redevelopment stage, resulting in gradual community disintegration; ii) the social capital loss is both an inevitable result of the internalisation of urban-rural differences in the community and an effective governance approach ensuring the rehousing neighbourhoods are not reproduced into informal settlements; iii) formalization of informal communities with losing social capitals requires significant public investments on public service provision, to compensate to the communities' loss of power over urban space (re)production; therefore, iv) reproduce social capital in the rehousing neighbourhood is in need in the long-term to reduce governance costs and enhance social service provision.

Platelet Levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Is There a Specific Association with Autism Spectrum Psychopathology?

To date, although several studies have investigated the circulating levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), only a few authors have addressed their evaluation in adults. Furthermore, an important limitation of these studies lies in the fact that circulating BDNF is stored in platelets and released into the circulation when needed. To the best of our knowledge, a very limited number of studies have related peripheral BDNF values to platelet counts, and yet no study has evaluated intra-platelet BDNF levels in adults with ASD. In this framework, the aim of the present work is to pave the way in this field and evaluate platelet BNDF levels in adult ASD patients, as well as their correlation with autistic symptoms and related psychopathological dimensions. We recruited 22 ASD and 22 healthy controls, evaluated with the Adult autism subthreshold spectrum (AdAS Spectrum), the Social Anxiety Spectrum-self report (SHY-SR), the Trauma and loss spectrum-self report (TALS-SR), the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), and the Mood Spectrum-self report for suicidality. Intra-platelet BDNF levels were also assessed. The results highlighted lower BDNF levels in the ASD group; moreover, AdAS Spectrum and WSAS total score as well as AdAS Spectrum Restricted interest and rumination, WSAS Private leisure activities, TALS-SR Arousal, and SHY-SR Childhood domains were significant negative predictors of platelet BDNF levels.

Culture Loss and Changes after Earthquake-Related Residence Shift

The Gorkha Earthquake of 2015 had a massive impact on Nepali people’s economic and social life. Beside physical destruction, it caused immense psychological and cultural losses. Many people had to migrate from their land to new places for survival. Some had to leave their original addresses permanently, while many returned to their land after reconstruction. During the course of these events, the imminent cultural and social losses have been overshadowed till date due to over-emphasis on numerical ways of analyzing losses. Bhaktapur was one among many districts heavily affected by the earthquake. Due to densely compact old houses, Bhaktapur lost a lot of physical property along with many people’s lives. As many houses fell down completely, people had to migrate to new places, mostly on the outskirts of the main city area, either permanently or temporarily. As a by-product of this sort of migration, Bhaktapur, a bastion of cultural life, lost part of its intangible cultural heritage as the lifestyle and interconnectivity went through diverse changes. Objective of this paper mainly is to study how after the earthquake 2015 local people from Bhaktapur Municipality area migrated to the new places on the outskirts of the core, they lost the cultural and social affinity towards their habitual cultural and social events. How these migrations created feelings of loss among the cultural practitioners and other ordinary people living cultural life. By using the theory of cultural losses and revitalization, this paper deals how local people after facing havoc of destructive earthquake, tried to adjust the cultural distancing and forming of new circles of cultural practices. It studies how traditional cultural practices lost their tempo as people from certain neighborhoods (tole/galli) within Bhaktapur’s core area migrated to different places and lost their interconnectivity. This study has shown how cultural changes and losses have accelerated in Bhaktapur after the earthquake and how people who migrated to the outskirts are trying to build up cultural ties with their root with contextualization of cultural losses and changes. This paper is a qualitative study that uses data from field visits, observations and interviews. Highlighting the impact of cultural losses and changes, the paper suggests some possible ways to revitalize and rejuvenate the cultural life and sustainability of people migrated to the outskirts from the core settlement of Bhaktapur. It also studies how practical ways of cultural adaption are being used amidst the vulnerability of cultural losses. Findings of this paper are significant to understand the intangible losses resulted because of the earthquake besides seen tangible losses. It is importantly significant to understand the dynamism of cultural changes and cultural differences. This study could help to understand the trend of cultural losses and work to mend and make adjustment of such changes.

Social antagonism, identity-driven beliefs, and loss avoidance: Evidence from Guinea

We use a lab-in-the-field experiment to study identity preferences, other-regarding beliefs, and conflict behavior among the Fulani and Malinke in Guinea, Sub-Saharan Africa. In a hawk-dove game, we explore the existence of out-group hostility and ingroup cooperation compared to the baseline where pairs are uninformed of each other's region of origin. We observe that ethnic identity, especially among the Malinke, encourages loss aversion in situations where negative earnings are possible. Identitydriven beliefs, i.e. expectations of others, lead to either reciprocity among homogeneous pairs or materialism in diverse pairs. Using complementary survey data, we also find that high out-group trust and less linguistic diversity are correlated with conflict avoidance.

The role of social network diversity in self-perceptions of aging in later life

While the link between self-perceptions of aging (SPA) and healthy aging is well established, less is known about the association between social factors and SPA. The present study investigated whether higher social network diversity is associated with more positive and less negative SPA and whether this association is moderated by age. We examined cross-sectional data from the German Ageing Survey of 2008 (DEAS; N = 6205, 40–85 years, 49.5% female). Network diversity was assessed as the number of social roles in an individual’s network (such as spouse, friend and colleague). Three domains of SPA were measured using the Aging-Related Cognitions Scale (AgeCog): ongoing development (positive SPA), social losses (negative SPA) and physical losses (negative SPA). We conducted multiple linear regression models and tested for a moderator effect of age using an interaction term of age and network diversity. Results showed that at higher ages older adults with higher network diversity reported more positive SPA related to ongoing development and more negative SPA related to social losses than those with less diverse networks, indicating that age has a moderating effect. We found no association between network diversity and negative SPA related to physical losses and no indication that age was relevant to this relationship. The present study adds to evidence on the role of social networks in SPA. Our findings suggest that in certain SPA domains and depending on age, network diversity is related to both more positive and more negative SPA, which emphasizes the importance of considering domain-specific SPA.

Insurance for all by 2047 A Study Of PMSBY: Insurance Penetration of the Population of Chhattisgarh State

Insurance provides coverage of unexpected risks which can result in economic, financial and social losses. The PMSBY scheme is a flagship financial inclusion program of the Government of India announced in 2015 to provide accidental death or disablement cover to the insured at an extremely affordable premium. The purpose of this article is to see whether the flagship insurance penetration initiative of IRDAI, that is the ‘Insurance for All by 2047’ has been successful in increasing the penetration of PMSBY insurance in Chhattisgarh after its launch in the year 2022, and how has it contributed to the betterment of the State’s economy after its announcement.

Host vegetation connectivity is decisive for the natural spread of pine wilt disease.

Pine wilt disease has caused significant economic, ecological, and social losses in China, but there is a notable lack of research on the dynamic process of its propagation and diffusion over long timescales. This study revealed the spatial and temporal spread of the natural invasion of pine wilt disease through an analysis of long time series at macroscopic scales. We analysed and verified by simulations the driving mechanisms of host and wind fields in the natural spread of pine wilt disease. The research findings indicate that from 1982 to 2019, the number of counties affected by pine wilt disease in the Yangtze River Delta region of China exhibited a pattern of 'steady increase-fluctuation-outbreak'. The host forest played a decisive role in the natural spread of the disease, while the wind field played a supporting role. The study revealed specific contributions from various factors, where host forest landscape connectivity, host forest area share, mean wind speed, and wind frequency accounted for 31.8%, 28.7%, 22.6%, and 8.8%, respectively. The interaction of increased host forest area and increased wind speed can significantly increase the risk of pine wilt disease transmission. To validate these findings, vectorial metacellular automata simulations of pine nematode transmission in the Yangtze River Delta were conducted, yielding results with an accuracy of 0.803. By quantifying the contribution of host forest connectivity to the natural spread of pine wilt disease, this research offers a scientific foundation and innovative insights for preventing and controlling its dissemination. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Feasibility of telerehabilitation to address the orientation and mobility needs of individuals with visual impairment: perspectives of current guide dog users

Orientation and Mobility (O&M) training, including guide dog services, is crucial for individuals with low vision and blindness to attain independent travel. While teleassistance has proven effective for navigation and communication, telerehabilitation in O&M remains unexplored. Objective To assess guide dog users’ perspectives on the feasibility of telerehabilitation for their O&M needs. Method An online survey gathered insights from 56 guide dog (GD) users (Mean age = 59, Mean GD used = 4, Mean duration of use = 22 years). Thirteen GD users further participated in interviews or focus groups to explore survey responses. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Findings Most (40) were blind, and 16 had low vision, with intermediate (25) and advanced (25) communication technology proficiency. Most GD users (46) underwent residential training, and 10 received one-on-one visits. Qualitative analysis revealed acceptance of telerehabilitation services, citing accessibility as an advantage. However, GD users expressed concerns about safety, potential loss of behavioral observation, and social contact loss. Success depended on the type of technology, service type, and personal attributes. Conclusion While feasible, telerehabilitation services may not be universally suitable for all training stages. Flexibility and applicability in service design are necessary to accommodate individual preferences and experience levels.

Costs of obesity attributable to the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in Brazil

Excess sugar is considered one of the primary factors contributing to overweight status. In Brazil, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) contain a significant amount of this nutrient and are consumed excessively. These beverages are associated with adverse health outcomes and impose costs on the healthcare system. The literature currently lacks studies that aim to attribute specific nutrients or foods as causes of diseases and also evaluate their economic impact, especially in middle- and low-income countries. This study aims to estimate the direct and indirect costs of obesity, stratified by sex and age group, resulting from the excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in Brazil from 2008 to 2020, and to project these costs for the year 2036. The estimation of obesity costs attributable to excessive consumption of SSBs was based on relative risks and the population prevalence of obesity, considering expenditures on hospitalizations and outpatient procedures in the Unified Health System (SUS). Cost information was obtained from the health information systems available at SUS. The highest burden attributable to the consumption of SSBs was observed among younger individuals and progressively decreased with advancing age. The total direct costs in the period between 2008 and 2020 amounted to approximately US$ 6.33 million, 87% of which was related to expenses for females. Additionally, deaths resulting from the consumption of SSBs cost the economy US$ 40 million due to the premature loss of productivity. The total costs of obesity attributable to the consumption of SSBs are substantial, impacting public spending and generating social and productivity losses that burden the economy. It is crucial to develop and implement cost-effective fiscal and regulatory policies aimed at preventing and combating obesity.

Fenomena Kenakalan Remaja dan Kriminalitas Kasus Tawuran di Bekasi (Studi Literature Review)

This study reviews the phenomenon of juvenile delinquency and crime in the context of brawl cases in Bekasi. Through a literature review, various factors are examined which are the causes and impacts of teenage brawls in the city. First, social factors such as economic instability, lack of education, and a family environment that is not conducive can trigger juvenile delinquency. Second, environmental factors, including peers and the influence of mass media, also contribute to aggressive adolescent behavior. In addition, psychological factors such as lack of self-control and the need for affiliation also play a role in the formation of criminal behavior. The impact of teenage brawls includes social, economic and psychological losses for individuals and the surrounding community. This study highlights the important role of families, schools and social institutions in preventing and overcoming the phenomenon of juvenile delinquency and brawling crimes in Bekasi. With an in-depth understanding of the factors that influence adolescent behavior, it is hoped that effective intervention strategies can be formulated to reduce cases of brawls and improve the quality of life of adolescents in Bekasi.

Review on Study of Nanoparticles in Brain Targeting for Treatment Of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disorder, in which there is a progressive deterioration of intellectual and social functions, memory loss, personality changes and inability for self-care, and has become the fourth leading cause of death in developed countries. Pathogenesis of AD, there is a progressive deposition of β-amyloid (Aβ)- peptide in the hippocampal and cerebral cortical regions. This deposition is associated with the presence of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and senile plaques. The senile plaques deposited between the neurons consist mainly protein β amyloid. Neurofibrillary tangles deposited inside the neurons fabricated from Tau protein. Diagnosing Alzheimer's requires careful medical evaluation thorough medical history, mental status testing, physical and neurological examination tests (such as blood tests and brain imaging), two classes of medications approved to treat AD. Cholinesterase inhibitors: Donepezil, Rivastigmine, Galantamine, NMDA receptor antagonists: Memantine. The major goal in designing nanoparticles as a delivery system are to control particle size, surface property and release of pharmacologically active agents in order to achieve the site-specific action of the drug at the therapeutic optimum rate and dose regimen of the agent to the CNS, but also the ability of the agent to access the relevant target site within the CNS. Many strategies have been developed to deliver the drug into brain by crossing the BBB: chemical delivery systems, magnetic drug targeting or drug carrier systems such as antibodies, liposomes or nanoparticles. Among those, nanoparticles have got a great concentration as the potential targeted drug delivery systems in the brain recently. Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, β-amyloid, cholinesterase inhibitors, Curcumin nanoparticles.